It is a common occurrence that when we speak with people who have bought magnetic field systems, the most frequent questions are about the general timeline set for healing or the time taken for the process of recovery. The questions may range from “When will my condition improve and sometimes “Why am I not yet well”?
To answer these questions correctly, it is essential to have sufficient knowledge about the working mechanism of PEMF therapies with respect to specific health situations. The current health condition of the body is another factor which is undeniably important when you analyze this scenario.
To tackle specific health issues, high field intensities are required whereas certain health problems respond in a better way to low field intensities. Also, in case of some problems, they need a very broad range while for others it may work more effectively with a minimal number of frequencies or even a single frequency. To derive the best results from your body, suitable device selection is of critical importance. As a general rule, each magnetic system will definitely produce some benefit, only its extent varies. If the body is provided with the right magnetic system, it tends to produce positive results faster. The most common mistake committed by people who purchase PEMF systems is that, they decide to purchase systems, based on their price or affordability. It may not be the right PEMF system for their body and will lead to longer time being consumed to achieve the desired results. Needless to say, patience is the only solution to overcome such situations.
Each person’s body is different and so is the way body will display results. Some people may get extremely positive results within a week a two of using their system. In other cases, result may not be that quick and the ideal way to respond to it is by adjusting the treatment protocol. It takes some time for the body to heal after it has received the correct stimulus or body signal. For instance, a fracture may take up to 8 to 12 weeks to heal, such that the bone becomes functional. This means that though the body is not completely healed, that body part can be used again for regular functioning. It is found that magnetic therapies greatly improve the healing process by speeding up the process, but it is not magic. As we all know, a disease is not usually instantaneous, the same is applicable to the healing process. Since we did not get our current state of health in a day, do not expect the body to be healed in a day either.
PEMF’S do not make the healing process painless or easy. At times, it is essential to use drugs during the process of therapy. A major goal of PEMF therapy is to reduce the usage of drugs and to attain a relief from pain and better functioning of the body without altering the body chemistry.
PEMFs work deep at the tissue level to speed up the natural healing process that has begun to slow down. Overall health, improved functioning of the body and reduction in pain are all directly related to the healing of tissues. PEMF is the best option since it is not likely to regress and is highly sustainable. It is also reported that, during the process of healing, a vast majority of people find health benefits from PEMF that are not related to their original health problem. Many body mechanisms like sleep, vitality, mood and gut function has been found to improve prior to the correction or improvement of the original problem.
Setting goals or expectations
It is important to set proper expectations, when you use PEMF therapies. Small improvements in health conditions may miss your notice or seem inadequate, if you are tensed or depressed. This kind of behavior is commonly observed with the elderly, who generally have several health problems, and therefore may not end up appreciating the small benefits that is provided by the system. In order to set more realistic expectations, the initial requirement is to understand the nature of the problem, the extent of damage, the types of tissues that are involved, their respective potential to regenerate and the age factor of the patient. It is obvious that a 20 year old will heal faster than an 80-year old, because young bodies have more energy and their genetics assist in faster repair and recovery process. Also, injuries that are chronic may need much more time than acute injuries, to be healed.
You have to set expectations within the technology limits, and the capability of the tissues to regenerate on its own. PEMF is not a magic wand and miracles do not happen overnight. Nevertheless, they are a better solution than opting for surgical procedures or medications with potential toxicity. Many people seek PEMF therapies as a last resort after having already tried surgeries or medications. It takes time for permanent healing that is dependable and in some cases, PEMFs help to gain control on the health problem. The result may be similar to that of medicines and physical therapy, but PEMFs are not toxic, natural and can be practiced in your comfort zone.
As a result of constant regeneration the body, we are entirely new bodies after every seven years. There are different repair and regeneration processes for different tissues. For example, the cornea of the eye regenerates after every 24 hours, intestinal cells repair within 72 hours, skin and muscle cells repair in 2 to 3 weeks and bones may take up to 7 years to be totally repaired. Some tissue like ligaments, brain cells, spinal discs, tendons and nerves have low regenerative capacities and less blood supply and hence may not be repaired well. PEMF are also instrumental in treating problems involving musculoskeletal tissues which may be difficult to treat. It is not possible to push the regenerative capacities of a tissue beyond its optimal capacity.
Identifying and acknowledging the extent of tissue damage
To solve the mystery of the timeline required for healing, it is vital to acknowledge the extent of damage in your body in its truest sense. It is important to understand the degree of involvement of a tissue with respect to a health condition and the expected amount of time it will require to heal that problem. Since, different tissues are involved in causing an injury, its degree of involvement also varies and the degree may be considered at specific levels like patho physiological level, energetic level, physiological and pathologic levels.
Energetic and physiologic levels are mostly involved in all health problems and it is always observed that whenever there is damage to tissues or during cell injury, some degree of pathologic involvement will be seen. Many a times, the tissues or cells are damaged irreversibly and the aim of the treatment would be to repair and regenerate most of the tissue near the area of damage. Body repairs itself using its own inbuilt programs and PEMF therapies assist the body to repair and regenerate better as well as speed up the process, sometimes doubling the progress.
To understand this in detail, let us take common cold as example. Discomfort is a common sign that most people face at the beginning of a common cold, without any apparent sense of what the problem is. This is at the level of energy. After the cold gains ground and produces a sore throat, runny nose and temperature, it means the infection has moved up to the physiologic level and the body react to the infection. If the disease progresses further, it may even lead to bronchitis, pneumonia and rhinitis which are at the patho physiologic level where most of the chronic diseases persist. Further progress of the disease may lead to significant damage at the cellular level or even a tissue and organ failure. This is the pathologic level and it is most difficult to recover from this stage.
Treatment results at each level
At the energetic level, treatments produce more rapid and dramatic results. For problems at the physiologic level, treatments usually produce results or noticeable outcomes after many days. At the pathologic level, like in case of chronic problems, the treatment effects take longer to be noticed, and may take a few weeks. The outcomes also become unpredictable at this stage and in some cases may take from several months to years to be noticeable, or not at all. Magnetic fields usually cannot reverse true and complete death of organs and in the scenario that it is possible, it is called as the “Lazarus effect”.
After the extent of damage in the body is identified, it is easier to predict the duration of therapies required to produce noticeable results. Treatments may be offered for specific health problems, but improvement may be seen at some other places, depending on the tissue layers involved. The most important factors are the level and extent of the problem, even more than the frequency, strength of the magnetic field or the number of times it is used. When these variables are optimized, the process is shortened.
Body shows progress in treatment in the levels that make most sense to it and we have to work towards working positively with them. Natural healing process is aided by patience and acceptance. PEMFs are effective in pain reduction, swelling reduction, and circulation improvement and regeneration stimulation for tissues that have no capacity to regenerate.
Effective utilization of resources
It is difficult to find an optimum amount of time required to apply treatments, but it should be noted that good results are synonymous with the time spend with the system. Factors like level of dysfunction, type of PEMF system used and tissue type determine the amount of time needed for treatment. High intensity magnetic fields are found to give faster results but they are more expensive than low intensity magnetic fields. Low level intensity units need more time to show results even though they are more affordable. Patients have to spend in between 1 to 3 hours in a system each day in this case. It is best to use the system for 30 minutes at a time, 3 times a day for treatment purposes. Better results can be obtained when you do the treatment for an hour at a time, when you have the time. It is mandatory to undergo at least one session of treatment each day and one of the most vital aspects of PEMF treatment is consistent and regular usage.
Proper Placement of Applicator
The PEMF therapies are designed to penetrate throughout the body without being used up, since they are not residual, they are not hindered at any point by anything in the body, even in places where the tissues are packed tightly. It is a fact that the point of contact is the place where the intensity of the field is strongest. As the distance from the source increases, the intensity decreases. It is similar to light wherein the strongest point is close and the intensity decreases as you move farther away. Body experiences maximum intensity at that part which is closest to the PEMF applicator and the other side of the body will receive lower field intensity. This proves that the placement of applicator plays a major role in the treatment results.
Applicators are therefore usually placed near the area of discomfort or pain. Very often, pain is usually caused due to another part of the body. For instance: Pain in the knee or foot is often caused by lower back problems and elbow or wrist pains are often caused by shoulder problems. Spinal cord problems may lead to spasticity in the lower extremities.
It is appropriate to use the applicator in a spot when it is known that a lesion is present directly in the tissue which is experiencing pain. There is also no harm in placing the applicator at a bit higher location, especially in the spine region, which is responsible for the sensory traffic from lower extremities to brain through spinal cord. It leads to perception of pain by the brain and sends a pain signal back to the location of the pain. This means that if you apply a PEMF to the lower back region, it will provide relief from knee pain and a neck treatment will suffice in relieving a pain in the arm.
The correct applications must be used along with correct positioning to derive best results. Full body mats may not help in case of a local problem even though it supports the entire body. Smaller pillow pads are provided along with full body systems for this reason. Both full body and smaller applicators can be used simultaneously, in case of some magnetic systems, where it is best to lie on your back on a full body mat and keep the smaller pad on top of the area where you experience maximum pain. This technique is called as a ‘magnetic sandwich’ and it is highly effective in increasing the intensity of the magnetic field when both applicators are being used.
Assistance from adequate nutrition
Healing of wounds is only possible with adequate nutritional support. When the nutritional supply is compromised, wound healing process stops or breaks down. It is often difficult for doctors when they have to face problem in conducting an emergency surgery, because the body condition is not fit enough to tackle the stress of the surgery and nutritional deficiencies will hamper the recovery process.
PEMF therapies work best when the patient is well fed and consumes the required number of supplements. Adequate levels of oega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D3 and broad spectrum multivitamins should be consumed by everyone on a daily basis. Extra magnesium is also needed to use PEMF therapies. In certain cases, melatonin supplementation is also recommended. Adequate hydration is another factor that determines the proper functioning of PEMF. People should drink half their body weight in ounces which means a person who weighs 160 pounds, must drink 80 ounces of water every day.
Support and instructions
A PEMF system is easy to be purchased and used by simply following the instructions included in its box. Obtaining guidance from a person well versed in this therapy is a great idea though. If you feel that the results are not enough or that the therapy is not working for you, then professional support may be needed. Most of the medical professionals may be experts in their knowledge about your clinical condition, but may not know much about magnetic field therapies. At ElectroMeds.com, we cater to this problem and we are well versed with what we offer, how to use these systems and are always willing to assist you.
Indirect Help
Certain health problems cannot be corrected by PEMF therapy alone. Bone-on-bone arthritis in the hip or knee region is a common example. Under such circumstances, extensive damage and the involvement of so many tissues make joint replacement an unavoidable proposition. PEMF therapies are even effective under these circumstances in some ways. Before performing the joint replacement procedure, magnetic therapy is useful to assist the tissues in being as healthy as possible, even if this therapy does not control the pain in some conditions. Magnetic field therapy shortens the time required for the healing process and offers a lesser risk of developing complications. Some research also point out that prosthesis is better in integrating with the bone and makes the new joint feel much stronger. This kind of osteo integration may also help to reduce the probability of a breakdown in the future.
Medicine effect
Some medications like antidepressants, sedatives and neuroleptics are very challenging to the energy systems of the body by altering the way of perception of pain signals and thereby reducing some of the pain reduction benefits of PEMF therapy. However, you should not stop taking your medication or reduce its dosage, without consulting a physician. All we want to say is that pain reduction is sometimes not as successful as what we hope for due to the effects of the medication. The other benefits of PEMF in healing and recovery will not be affected due to this. In some cases, the same medications may show improved outcomes when they are combined with PEMF therapy because nutrients and medicines tend to be absorbed better when PEMFs are used. Some patients also reduce their medication after PEMFs have been used regularly for a while, but this should be implemented only under medical guidance.
Sensitivity and Toxicity factors
.Sometimes we come across people who display extraordinary sensitivity to magnetic fields and experience increasing discomfort or unpleasant symptoms. In such cases, PEMF therapy should be use with a low intensity and shorter number of treatment times. The lack of adequate and necessary intensities may make it difficult to obtain benefits, but it is possible to obtain dramatic results. But these people need to be on nutrition and supplement programs to achieve best outcomes.
PEMFs have the capability to open cells and cell membranes to an extent of unloading the toxins stored inside the tissues of the body. This kind of response is preferred in the long run, but it may not be a pleasant experience while it is taking place. The detoxification length will differ from patient to patient, but in most of the cases, PEMF therapy does not have to be stopped. Patients with multiple chemical sensitivities may feel that magnetic therapy is not tolerable till major detoxification can be attained.
Psychological factors
Research studies conducted at Hopkins in a pain management program revealed that some people with intense or chronic pain can have personality characteristics that lead to very poor results for the treatment provided. They often tend to give negative reactions even when exposed to placebo magnetic fields. Some of them even complain that their condition has worsened by the placebo treatments. Under such circumstances, PEMF therapy is not a recommended mode of treatment. Psychological counseling is therefore an integral part of pain management programs.
Wrong device being used
If desired outcomes are not attained even after the protocols have been changed and adequate usage, then it is highly possible that the wrong device has been selected for the treatment. PEMF is usually used to treat health conditions which are chronic and stubborn, and hence it may take a longer duration of up to 6 months to achieve the desired results for the treatment. If sufficient amount of time is not spent on the system or if the treatment program is too gentle, then the results may not be shown in the first few months. Insufficient field intensities are the major cause of no improvements or slow improvements.
When the above mentioned conditions are properly followed, it leads to positive and accurate results with the PEMF therapies. It might be required to adjust the treatment program to address various issues in the body and also to tackle the specific needs of body parts.
